Don't leave me
by Baird's Girl 1997
Summary: It wasn't until I feared losing you, that I realized how much I loved you. Rated T for some violence. (Gears of War belongs solely to Epic Games)
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! This is just a short Baird and Sam story that popped into my head. This is my very first fan fiction, so go easy on me :P. Constructive criticism is always welcome and comments would be most appreciated! (Cover art by my lovely sister! )

Hope you enjoy and don't forget to tell me what you think! ;D

(Update!) So sorry about the crappy spacing, but I'm fixing that right now. (I guess I was just excited to post my first story :P) New chapter coming soon, just keep an eye out for it. I'm really pleased about all the views that this, and my other stories have received. Keep the comments coming, and thanks to everyone who has been following my work ;)

Baird's ears rang prodigally as he knelt on his hands and knees, remaining motionless on the curb of the now quieted street. The atmosphere around him seemed to be in a perpetual slow motion, each of his senses strangely acute and muddled at the same time. Ash, implicative of snow to his blurry eyesight, fell from the remnants of smoldering buildings, leaving the surrounding area in a grayish-white hue.

Slowly, Baird removed a shaking hand from his side, cringing at the amount of blood that had stained his glove; starting at his wrist, the crimson liquid ran all the way up to his uncovered fingertips.

Sparing a quick glance to his right, Baird could just make out the battered locust figure that lay lifelessly in the street, dark red blood still spewing from the bullet hole at the base of its neck. Despite the throbbing pain that was beginning to start in the back of his head, Baird couldn't help grinning slightly; that was an excellent shot….just slightly too late.

Inhaling heavily, the mechanic didn't even attempt to stand, instead half crawled, half slid across the sidewalk. As he moved, he left a clear path in the pavement, which was, for the most part, covered in ashes. Slumping against an overturned telephone booth, Baird tried to ignore the alarming feeling of severe fatigue that was plaguing his entire body; the very thought of attempting to move again made him nauseous.

Licking the corner of his lip, the coppery taste of blood immediately met his tongue. Spitting, he realized only now that he must have bit his lip when the lancer bullet entered his side. A small breeze caused him to weakly huddle deeper into his armor, although the wound on his side protested to the sudden movement. Why was he so cold?

"Damon?!" a familiar voice called from down the street, causing the mechanic to stir. His thoughts on the weather straying elsewhere, Baird suddenly remembered the female gear that had been stationed with him on patrol this week. Before he could attempt to reply, heavy footsteps approached at a rapid pace. Moments later, Samantha Byrne was at his side, examining with concern the blood that was dripping from his pierced armor.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she asked quickly, beginning to undo the heavy clasps on his chest plate. Her brown eyes were locked on his intently, fingers still working feverishly to unlock the armor. "What, you miss me already?" he asked with a soft chuckle that quickly turned into a suppressed cough. Despite herself, Sam was forced to let a small grin escape from her otherwise serious, if not worried, expression. She wondered how the mechanic managed to keep his sarcastic sense of humor in even the most nerve-wracking situations. As if on cue, Baird's small grin dissipated, replaced by a pensive stare. "That wasn't exactly fifteen minutes." He stated softly. For a moment, her mind trailed back to the short conversation that had taken place between the two of them in the hotel lobby, and she smiled inside, fondly recalling the look that they had both shared.

"Ok," she replied quickly, shaking unrealistic thoughts out of her head. "Do you know how much worse you'd be if I waited another _five_?" Blinking widely, Baird swallowed hard before responding, the dull throb in the back of his head becoming almost unbearable. "Listen, you asked for a distraction, I gave you a distrac-tion." He stuttered as Sam tried to get a better grip on the clasps, putting unneeded pressure on his wounded side.

"Yeah, I asked for a distraction; I didn't ask for you to get yourself ki-" A loud snap from the chest plate interrupted Sam, informing her that the strong clasps had finally yielded to her unwavering grip. She lost no time in folding both sides over, revealing the blood-stained tank shirt that was underneath. "Bloody hell." She muttered, only now realizing the full extent of the male gear's injury.

After removing Baird's chest piece completely, she noticed that the lower half of his shirt was almost entirely stained dark red. Every time he inhaled it was shallow and raspy, the rise and fall of his chest unsteady and weak. Looking back at his face, she noticed that his powder blue eyes lacked their usual gleaming confidence, instead looking distant and a little less then fearful. Quickly taking a handful of bandages out of her pack, Sam tried to erase the worried expression on her face by smiling gently. "I've seen worse." She stated softly, nervously trying to get the bandages into a manageable pile.

Immediately catching on to her spurious tone, Baird smiled weakly. "I'll bet…..you've seen a lot better too." He replied quickly, closing his eyes in a futile attempt to ignore the fresh waves of pain that were attacking his side. Overlooking his previous comment, Sam stood up and put a few feet between herself and Baird before pressing on the small radio in her ear. She looked back before speaking, hoping she was out of earshot.

"Come in K-05, this is Delta-3 requesting immediate evac, repeat, _immediate _evac. We have multiple casualties and wounded on the corner of 32nd, over." There was a short pause before a gruff male voice responded, although difficult to understand through his thick accent and the noise of gunfire in the background.

"Rodger that Delta, evac available in T-fifteen minutes."

"Negative K-05." Sam responded quickly. She tried to sound as calm as possible, although the thought of waiting fifteen minutes made her stomach lurch. "It's paramount that we receive evac in less then ten; I have a gear down who's in need of immediate medical assistance."

Again, a short pause.

"We copy Delta, but right now we're being pinned by heavy enemy firepower. It's fifteen minutes at the latest." The gear at the other end of the radio was beginning to sound flustered. Realizing there was nothing else she could do, Sam sighed with frustration before replying quickly. "Ugh, acknowledged. Watch your six K-05. Delta out."

Turning her attention back towards her companion, it disturbed her to see that posture had slackened; shoulders loose and legs laid out flat against the sidewalk. "Five minutes." She said softly, not bothering to explain who she had just gotten in contact with; they both understood how situations like this went down.

"You know," Baird replied, not for the first time removing a gloved hand from his side, exposing the dark red stain on his shirt. "When you're trying to lie to someone, you'd better make sure their not listening." He tapped his earpiece in emphasis while finally looking up at her, eyes squinted from the bright rays of sunlight that were being cast over the rooftops of smoldering buildings across the street. She shrugged while slowly walking back across the ash covered street, feeling sheepish. Setting herself down next to him, Sam examined her companion with growing concern, noting just how pale he had grown, his shaking hands, and the severe lack of usual amusement in his eyes.

Without hesitating, she pressed the wad of bandages on his side, gently but firmly. Inhaling sharply through clenched teeth, Baird absentmindedly grabbed her hands in his, attempting to cease the unexpected torment that was emanating from the severe wound on his side. He blinked widely, tightly keeping his lips together as he exhaled heavily. "Sorry." She said quickly, eyes turned down apologetically. At that moment, frustration left Baird's expression as he noticed the odd look in the female gear's eyes. He gazed at her unknowingly, trying to figure out what it was. Suddenly, Sam noticed his stare, and turned her face away uncomfortably, fighting back the tears that had swelled in her eyes.

"Sam?" Baird asked slowly, starting to realize what was wrong. She shook her head quickly, berating herself for letting her normally hidden emotions take over the situation. "Samantha." He repeated in a near whisper. She slowly turned her head back towards him, surprised by the seriousness in his voice and the unexpected use of her full name.

A tear trickled down her face as their eyes came in contact, silently acknowledging the meaning of each others unspoken words. Keeping one hand firmly pressed against his side, Baird gently placed the other on her cheek, brushing the tear away with his thumb. In an immediate reaction to his gentle touch, Sam closed her eyes, grasping his hand in hers as she exhaled, only now realizing that she had been holding her breath.

They sat silently for a long moment, insensible to time gone by as they morosely enjoyed each others warm embrace.

"Samantha…listen to me." Baird finally stated weakly, his eyes delving so deeply into hers that she couldn't help but stare back. "You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen….I….tried to tell you _so_ many times, it's just….I was scared, ok?" In any other circumstance, Sam would've made a joke on how the loss of blood was making the male gear say weird things; but at that moment, whether it was the earnestness in his expression, or the serious tone of his voice, Sam was left breathless, unable to respond.

Finally, wiping newly formed tears away with the back of her hand, Sam swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat, while nodding her head.

"Everything is going to be alright." She whispered, nervously adding more bandages to the soaked ones that had accumulated on his side. A melancholy smile played at the corner of Baird's lips as he blinked slowly. His blue eyes were half lidded now, shifting from her face to the surrounding area, as if it were becoming difficult to see. "Damon, look at me." She said quickly, apprehensive to the fact that the pace of his breathing was hastening. Her voice almost unrecognizable due to the choked sobs that were being suppressed in the back of her throat, she repeated the phrase over and over, evocative of a despondent mantra.

In stark contrast to the dried blood on his lip, his skin had grown extremely pale, near match to the ash that accumulated on both their clothing. Running her fingers through his blonde hair, Sam gently held his head in her hands, desperately trying to keep him awake long enough for the king raven to arrive. Tears were streaming down her face now, as if, at that moment, nothing else mattered but the safety of the man she had recently grown to love.

"Damon listen to me; Look at me! Ever since-" At that moment, the sound of copter blades interrupted the rest of her sentence, causing her to look up at the welcomed sight of a king raven coming in overhead. "Just a little longer." Sam said aloud, although not meaning to. She looked over her shoulder, just in time to see the helicopter landing in the middle of the intersection down the street. Looking back at her companion, she inhaled sharply, feeling the color drain from her face. Baird's eyes were completely closed, the rise and fall of his chest slowly ceasing.

"Baird?" she asked quietly, the disbelief in her voice palpable. Grabbing his limp hand, she tightly pressed her first two fingers against his wrist.

Nothing.

Her lip trembling, she placed the same two fingers at the base of his neck, hoping against hope that somehow, he would pull through. Finally, after repositioning her fingers several times, she found his pulse, although it was barely there; threadlike and weak. The mechanics eyes flicked open momentarily as she placed one hand behind his neck, the other on his forehead, stroking his blonde hair back affectionately. Although Sam heard the soldiers from the helicopter approaching, she didn't bother looking back, instead kept her eyes locked on Baird.

"Damon, stay with me! _Please_." Blinking slowly, a tear dripped down her nose as she rested her forehead on his, whispering softly, "_Don't leave me._"

(Ok, that's the first chapter, update coming soon!)


	2. Chapter 2

_Writers. Block. Sucks._

_Ok guys, on that note, soooo sorry this took so long but I'm pretty satisfied with the result. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long to update, but I'm not promising you anything. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to R&R and tell me what you think ;D _

"Damon. Damon, look at me." Sam repeated the male gears name between clenched teeth while gently turning his head to face her, eyes welling with tears again.

They had been in the king raven for about fifteen minutes, but not once did Baird recognize her; His gaze was continually shifting around the interior of the helicopter they sat in, and when he did notice Sam, it was with an expression of pain and confusion. Biting her bottom lip, Sam blinked to clear her vision, letting the tears drip down her nose and cheeks while taking his blood covered hands in hers. "Just look at me." She thought, increasing her grip on Baird's shaking hands slightly as he tried to pull away. "Just give me real eye contact."

"Byrne, we have to get the bullet now, or he's going to bleed out." The young medic who stood next to her broke the relative silence, speaking with an eerily calm tone. "Sam?" he repeated himself. When she didn't acknowledge his words, he quickly placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to get her attention. The slight contact of another individual broke Sam from her reverie, and she stole one more glance at Baird before turning, leaving her hands locked with the blondes'.

The medic raked a hand through his ruffled hair before speaking, choosing his words carefully. "Byrne, he's already gone into shock. I've made him as comfortable as possible without morphine, but if we don't do something now," he paused, looking down at his boots before continuing. "He's not going to make it."

Sam swallowed hard, the very mention of those words making her stomach flip. They had told her about the morphine situation early on; Vince, their field medic, had used all he carried on the gears in his own squad during the firefight. Sam hadn't wanted to do anything drastic without the painkilling drug, but now, looking back at the shaking hands that were intertwined with hers, she realized there was nothing else to do.

Pursing her lips, she nodded, giving the young medic all the verification he needed. She followed the younger gears movements for a moment, noticing the confidant precision with which he moved while gathering his instruments.

Bringing her attention back to Baird, it pained her to see that his lips were moving slowly, mouthing incoherent words while his head turned from side to side, eyes closed tightly.

Soft murmuring sounded from Vince and a few other gears in the helicopter, but whatever they were saying was unrecognizable to Sam as she gently combed Baird's hair back, his forehead glistening with sweat. She knew that he was going to feel this, and she wished there was a way to spare him some of the pain he was about to go through.

"Ok Byrne, keep him as steady as you can, and make sure his hands stay in one place, got it?" Vince called, all calm and composed, as if he had done this a thousand times. Taking a clean pair of tweezers from a small kit that was strapped to his side, he gave a quick nod to the female gear, making sure she had comprehended all that he said. Sam did as she was told, strengthening her grip on his hands and placing her forearm on his bare chest before nodding back.

Baird awoke as she did so, his blue eyes glancing around before landing on the brunette.

"Sam?" his voice was barley a whisper, sounding alarmingly faint while he looked at her fearfully.

"Shhh." She soothed, trying to keep her tears from falling.

"Byrne, you ready?" the medic called once again, and Baird's eyes shifted slightly as the other voice met his ears.

Sam simply nodded, not bothering to turn away from her companion.

"Sam?" Baird repeated, his voice cracking under the strain of trying to speak. He sounded confused, completely oblivious to what was going on.

Sam closed her eyes as a soft sob escaped her lips. Squeezing his hands even harder, she tried to brace herself for what was about to happen as Vince counted down out loud "3, 2, 1"


	3. Chapter 3

_Omg…. I'm making myself cry! Ok guys, this chapter came sooner then expected, but what can I say, I couldn't just leave Baird dying in the helicopter! Anyway R&R and tell me what you think, criticism being most helpful as long as it stays constructive. Thanks to all who have been reading and following, and I promise to update soon. Ttyl!_

As gently as possible, Vince slid the pair of tweezers into the wound on Baird's side, digging around for the bullet that had hidden itself deep within.

The abrupt aggravation to his injury caused the mechanic to inhale heavily, gasping for breath as the fresh onslaught of torment not only affected his side, but also sent unbearable waves of pain to the back of his head. Instinct suddenly kicked in, and Baird thrashed on the stretcher he laid on top of, frantically trying to free his hands and legs from whatever was pinning them, attempting to get away from the abrupt excruciation.

"Keep him steady, keep him steady." Vince called out loud, one of his gloved hands laid out flat against his patient's torso while the other moved the pair of tweezers inside the injury, his lips pursing every time the instrument slipped in a little deeper.

Stifled sobs escaped Sam's lips as she stood above Baird, not for the first time wishing there was _something_ she could do to alleviate the torment he was going through. She felt his entire body trembling as she kept her arm planted firmly against his chest, trying to regain some form of composure while getting a better grip on her companion's hands. Another five minutes past, although it felt like hours to Sam as she steadied her friend, attempting to keep him as calm as possible while he continually shifted in and out of consciousness, his body trying to cope with the excessive amounts of trauma it was receiving. As Baird's blue eyes rolled back once more, Sam shifted her weight, turning to see what kind of progress the medic was making.

Everything fell into a haze as she looked on, nothing legible to her sight anymore except the amount of blood that was covering both the doctor and her friend. The crimson liquid was up to Baird's ribcage and down his waist, while Vince's hands were also dark red, the stain slowly making its way up to his elbows. By the looks of it, the field medic was having a difficult time with the bullet, his aggravated facial expressions downplaying his still composed demeanor.

Suddenly, Sam felt the color drain from her face, and her body went numb at the sight of Baird's shaking form tense up before going slack again, pained cries escaping his lips every time the medic slid the tweezers deeper into his body.

Without thinking, she released her grip on Baird's hands as her eyes slowly faded into a mass of gray, and she stumbled back, the helicopter door catching her before she could lose her balance completely. She stayed there for a moment, insensible to her surroundings as a soft buzzing sounded in her ears. Her stomach churned as she tried to steady herself against the interior of the helicopter, although her knees shook in protest every time she attempted to regain her footing. Fighting back the urge to vomit, Sam shook her head, rebellious to her physical wellbeing as she made her was back to Baird.

The commotion surrounding the blonde gear was overwhelming; people talking in raised voices while Vince continually slid the instrument ever deeper into Baird's side, wiping some of the blood away with a cloth so that his hand would stop slipping.

Realizing that someone else had taken up the job of keeping his hands pinned down, Sam stood next to Vince, helping where ever she could to speed up the process. Occasionally, she would steal a glance at Baird, and the stillness of her friend led her to believe that he had finally past out from either blood loss, pain, or both.

A few more harrowing minutes past, then suddenly, the medic's eye's lit up, and the tendons in his hand became visible as his hold tightened around the pair of tweezers. "I think I got it." He said out loud, speaking to no one in particular. Sam held her breath as he turned his wrist, before finally removing the instrument entirely, a bloodied piece of metal clamped tightly at the end.

He sighed, dropping the tweezers next to the rest of his gear while someone handed him a towel to wipe the rest of the blood off his hands.

As Vince dug around his medkit for fresh gauze, Sam, without thinking, wrapped her arms around his neck for a moment, unable to fully express her gratitude with words.

"Thank you." She said softly while pulling away, sheepishly realizing that she had been halting his work.

Blinking away his shocked expression, Vince nodded at her while smiling, already applying pressure to the still bleeding wound on Baird's side.

Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, Sam wiped her eyes with the back of her hand while turning, taking a seat next to Baird before she fell from complete exhaustion. As she did so, her vision began to fade once again, but she was determined to stay awake the rest of the trip, and make sure that they made it to the hospital.

In an attempt to distract her mind from anything but sleep, she wrapped her hands around Baird's, noting just how still he was; the only sign of life coming from her companion was the rise and fall of his chest, and even that was still unsteady and shallow. Keeping her eyes locked on his pale face, Sam found herself thinking back on the words Baird had spoken to her just before they had entered the king raven.

"_You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen….I….tried to tell you _so_ many times, it's just….I was scared, ok?_

Sam mulled the words over in her mind several times, smiling to herself slightly before her eyes closed and she fell asleep.


End file.
